Thunderstorm
by Lena Ban Obsidian
Summary: After Este collapsed, Nagi and Farfarello escaped Japan. Rated for a couple o' cusses.


Thunderstorm  
Lena

Notes: Happy Birthday, Zaz! I really hope you like it. ^^ 

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It is good to travel the world and I have traveled it many times over. I am younger than I seem; I am older than time. I have watched the waves crash over homes and children. I have set fire to the grasslands under the cerulean sky. Today I lean over the edge of a rail, and peer down into the forest beneath me. We are in a tree house. Nagi, and I. 

Since Este crumbled we've been together, wandering around. Nagi keeps looking for signs of Schuldich and Crawford. I hope we don't find them; this new life, this..._freedom_ is so much better than straightjackets and cages. The two of us own the world, even as the world owns us. We understand now, better than any man who stays in the city could. There is a raw power that runs through the veins of every living creature. Some have more than others. 

We have more than anyone. 

When the tower collapsed, when we were fighting Weiss, when the last battle was ending, I lost my control. I beat the bloody shit out of the little one, and I think I shattered the back of the other one's skull. Nagi's chided me for it since. He worries sometimes; it is an amusing, endearing thing that I cannot prevent. Needless to say, the slicing of my throat was a new, if slightly unpleasant experience. There was the odd sensation of popping where those steel claws met my flesh, and three holes appeared, barely missing my vocal chords. I fell and couldn't get up. I couldn't breathe. There was blood pouring out of me from wounds that I couldn't feel, and the claws were still hungry for my suffering. The man was unbalanced, more so than me at that moment. 

I guess, in a way, that I got lucky. Collapsing buildings are somewhat impossible to ignore when you are inside of them. Even if you're out of control. My assailant went down with the rest of us, and then there were two things: debris, and water. 

Swimming comes naturally to me. 'Jei' remembers that he used to live by the sea, and swam nearly every day. I am not sure if 'Jei' remembers correctly, but it's a useful skill to have, nonetheless; I had resurfaced and was looking for the best course of escape before Nagi appeared. 

He had constructed a shield out of the debris, holding it about himself and lifting it free of the water before it became too much; he was already tired. I can't say I blame him for losing consciousness, but it was difficult to swim to him fast enough, and then I had a body over my shoulder and the current dragging me further out to sea. The saltwater clung to me, made my vision blur and left a grainy aftertaste in my mouth, of sand and other small particles. The shock of the cold was strong enough to seep through even my thick skin, and spurred me on, stroking through the waves as best I could, trying to keep Nagi's head above the water. 

It occurred to me to let him drown, but I have a habit of thinking things through as carefully as I can when something like murder is involved. Nagi was, and is an ally. Furthermore, he is more able to blend into society than I ever will be; and we would need the benefit of that anonymity to survive without Este's funds to support us. 

The shore approached faster than I'd thought possible, and I dragged us out, shook myself dry and threw him over my shoulder before heading down the road on foot. Our car was waiting for us; I took it. Bet that pissed Schuldich off quite a bit, assuming he survived. 

It was a short stop at the apartment that woke Nagi; being carried up stairs involves a lot of shaking, and he came to with a nauseous moan. I let him walk the rest of the way, and sit in the couch once we got inside. He stayed there, head between his knees, until I was done collecting our things (and a few of Crawford's). 

"To the airport?" 

He said, "Yes." 

Nagi paid, we flew, and haven't been back to Japan since. I've seen Germany and visited the embers of Schuldich's hometown; we went to Russia, south to Egypt, west to the great United States of America, and south again. I am in a tree-house in the rainforests of Brazil; my skin is still pale as snow, and I am wearing clothes that Crawford wouldn't have touched even with the intention of moving them to a garbage can. 

Nagi sleeps behind me, and the lightning is searing the sky. This place is wild, and wet and close. As I said, we have a lot of power; we ran out of money sometime in the crossing of the United States, but there are few men who can say no to a knife being put to their throats. It amuses me especially that Nagi makes them do it with their own hands. 

Thunder roars over the world around me and I roar back. I am feral. I am free. 

We will never go back. 

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To Acropolis Fanfiction  
Main Hall


End file.
